Public Worker Housing Offered

Stronger homes include subsidies

DAVIE — The Town Council recently heard a proposal to provide affordable housing for some public-sector employees.

Jim Dale, owner of the Rexmere Village and Paradise Village mobile home parks, made a presentation on offering public employees assistance to purchase prefabricated homes in the developments.

These would not be flimsy structures often associated with mobile home parks but substantial homes, he said. They would be built to a newer code that would enable them to withstand hurricane-force winds and would be surrounded by extensive landscaping to make them appear similar to traditional single-family homes, Dale said.

While a specific plan has not been developed, the idea would be to offer these homes to police officers, firefighters, town employees and possibly public school teachers. The employees would receive some assistance from the town in purchasing these homes.

"This is a very small swipe at a very big problem," Mayor Tom Truex said. "His program suggests we would assist some town employees so they would be able to live in mobile home parks. It is a pilot program."

The town would initially commit $50,000 to the project that would be split up among six or eight homes, Truex said, while Dale would pledge $66,000 to the project.

"This is something we need to look at," Truex said. "We have to look at the specifics, but it is worth looking at."

Councilwoman Susan Starkey also expressed interest.

"We need to help municipal employees find housing," she said. "Dale has done a beautiful job of showing the community that prefabricated homes are not the old mobile home trailers of the past. He has done a beautiful job in both his developments in the town."

Starkey said she would like the idea to be discussed further at a town workshop.

"We would have to establish criteria for who would be eligible for this program," she said.